The Heart of the TARDIS
by That Octopus
Summary: There is one companion he has not outlived, dropped off, or lost. A thief who travels the universe with her Time Lord. Short scenes for the OTP boot camp challenge, featuring the Doctor (all eleven of him) and his beloved TARDIS. AKA DocTAR! General spoilers for the different regenerations, but anything episode-specific I will warn you about when I come to it. Newly featuring 8!
1. 1 Injustice

A/N: These stories are written for the Doctor Who OTP Boot Camp Challenge. My OTP of choice is... The Doctor (all eleven of him) and his beloved TARDIS. Italicized words are how I'm representing the TARDIS's telepathic connection with the Doctor. In reality, I think it's usually more just feelings and ideas, but that gets complicated so I gave her limited English speech (again, telepathic). This is my first post so I hope it works! (Fingers crossed!)

Rating: T just in case.

Spoilers: Since it'll feature every Doctor, basic spoilers for the characters probably apply. I've seen some of each regeneration, but not all in equal quantity. Any discrepancies are completely my fault, and if you catch one I would appreciate hearing about it. Any episodes referenced will get their own spoiler alert when I come to them.

Disclaimer: These are not my characters, and I'm not getting money from them. They're just being borrowed for a bit of fun.

Enjoy!

**1. Injustice (Featuring 3!)**

The Doctor was positively in a snit as he pulled at wires and muttered and tried to fit things in place, occasionally shocking himself in the process.

"What really bothers me," he muttered to his ship, "what really galls me is that they had the nerve to punish you too!" He shielded his eyes against a burst of sparks that peppered his coat with burn marks.

_I helped_

the TARDIS thought at him, and the Doctor just snorted. "You may have taken me places, but I'm the one who ultimately did the meddling. And now look at you! A TARDIS who can't travel!" He clucked disapprovingly. "And even if I could get you working, I can't pilot you!"

_I stole you_

"Yes, but this is my problem!" The Doctor sighed, and pulled himself out from under the console. "And if you never fly again, I don't want to be the one responsible for keeping you here on this tiny little Earth, even though you seem to like it so much."

_I will fly_

"Oh, you will, will you?"

_I see_

"Well then," the Doctor said, straightening his jacket. "And shall I presume I'm flying with you?"

_Of course my thief_

The Doctor sighed, his arguments invalidated. Such was the nature of complaining to a time machine. "Well, then, I don't suppose you'd care to show me how to make that happen, would you?"

_Time's not right_

The Doctor pulled out a rag and started dusting off the remarkably-not-dusty console. He muttered to himself still, about it being not fair and an act of injustice and a disgrace to the Time Lord spirit, and just as much of a disgrace to the TARDIS spirit. The TARDIS is question took the tirade in stride, as she always did and always would.

Besides, it might not have been fair, but it wouldn't last. And she rather liked the feel of this new Doctor's thoughts.


	2. 2 Unmasked

****Hi! The first chapter worked and I got impatient so I decided to post the second! This one is very angsty, so be warned. If anyone wants to review, or has any suggestions, I'm always looking to improve my writing so I'd appreciate that.

**2. Unmasked (Including 11!)**

The Doctor always wears a mask. Sometimes he wears more than one. He has a smiling mask and a talking mask and an utterly-out-of-his depth mask. He has an oncoming storm mask, and a let's-save-the-universe mask, and a good-with-children-and-puppies mask.

Sometimes one mask will slip, and another one will show.

Sometimes people see him first in his dangerous-alien-that-no-one-can-control mask, and feel so proud to strip him down to his bizarre-and-sweet mask, even though they realize he's still got an old-and-dangerous mask on underneath.

But the Doctor always makes sure to have something on. Except for when he's alone in the TARDIS.

When he's down under the console in his little swing with his goggles on and his sonic screwdriver in hand, he sometimes unmasks completely. He doesn't like it, and he makes sure that the Ponds, or anyone else who might be around, are off shopping or sleeping or doing whatever humans do when they're alone.

Because what the Doctor is, under those ubiquitous masks, is scared. He's a frightened, guilty murderer who's only hope is to save more than he killed so maybe he can like himself again. He clings to his bow-tie because bow-ties are so unthreatening that maybe when people laugh at it he can believe that they're laughing at him and that means he's something harmless enough to laugh at.

But when there's no one there to laugh, he cries and he shakes down there. He cries for everyone he's lost and everyone he ever will lose. For Rose and River and Susan and Romana; for Sarah Jane and Adric and Ace and Mel. He cries because it's his fault, it's always his fault. He doesn't just press his lips together and allow a tear, he truly cries.

The only one who sees him like this is the TARDIS. She knows that he couldn't stand being unmasked in front of one of his companions. The first thing she does is twist the corridors around so that anyone trying to get into the console room will find the kitchen or the pinball room instead.

Then she rocks the Doctor back and forth in his swing, and plays soothing music over the speakers, and nudges his mind with hers, trying to call up the happy memories. The ones that don't end in tragedy.

He'll wipe his eyes, eventually, and smile weakly, and say "Let's go somewhere new, eh Sexy?" and she'll oblige him, taking him to somewhere only mildly dangerous but still perilous enough to be a distraction. He'll put on his masks and go bounding away, and she'll watch him go with a sad feeling in her core because she misses the days when her thief didn't have to cry.


	3. 3 Take Me With You

**3. Take me with you (Presenting 1!)**

The doors creaked open inward instead of outward. Aroused from her half catatonic state, the TARDIS lifted a tendril of consciousness. No one did that; the hinges shouldn't even work that way_. _

It was a Time Lord, but a young one. Only a few hundred years old or so. And his mind was filled with discontent. Restlessness. A restless Time Lord? How fascinating.

"Oh my," the time lord said. "Oh, my."

"Come along, Grandfather," said another voice. It was another Time Lord, even younger than the first. She reeked of excitement and apprehension. "This model's so old."

"Oh, no," the grandfather one said. "Look, Susan, this is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life!"

The TARDIS perked up at this. No one had complimented her in a very long while, and the brain waves along with the words felt very pleasing.

"Yes, I have decided," the grandfather said. "This one."

_Yes yes this one_

the TARDIS mimicked in his head, using his own language. She felt a jolt of surprise course through him, and then pleasure. "Is that you, hmmm?" he asked, and she answered in the excited affirmative.

"Well, then, I'm the Doctor," he said. "I'm going out to see the universe. It's far too dull being stuck here, and the other Time Lords are far too stuffy. As I'm sure you realize, being shoved in a museum as if you were obsolete. Hah!"

_Take me with you_

The TARDIS felt alive again when he spoke to her. The other Time Lords hadn't, not like this. They simply talked to each other, as if she didn't exist. "Of course I will!" the Doctor replied.

"Oh, come on, Grandfather," the Susan said. "It's so old, I wonder if it could even get us off this planet!"

"Of course she can!" the Doctor snapped back, emphasizing the _she. _"She's promised me."

The TARDIS saw a new timeline for herself, one that involved all of space and time and lots and lots of running. And always, always with this Doctor. It unfolded before her in blobs and bits, and shone with interest that any museum did not.

_Promise thief Steal me and I will steal you_

So they did.


	4. 4 Contagious

Hullo! Now that AP's are finally done, I can get back to posting stuff. (US HISTORY!) This one's my longest yet, so that's kind of cool. Enjoy, reviews appreciated, I don't own, and always bring a banana to a party.

**4. Contagious (demonstrating 10!)**

The Doctor pulled the TARDIS door shut behind him as soon as he smelled the air. He could hear Donna's indignant gasp at the rude-and-not-ginger-ness of it, but now wasn't the time for manners. Holding the handle tightly, he shouted through "Donna? You can't come out."

"And just why not?" Donna demanded.

"I made a mistake with the coordinates," the Doctor tried to explain calmly as his hearts hammered away in his chest. "This isn't the right time zone at all, and we can't stay."

Apparently, Donna had seen enough mistakes to know not to argue. "Coming back in then, Spaceman?" she asked, and the Doctor imagined clearly her impatient arm-crossing as she shouted at the door.

"Not yet," the Doctor started explaining.

"Now don't go telling me you're going exploring!" Donna raged, ignoring what he had thought was quite an obvious comma. "All this talk of danger and you just can't _wait _to get your alien hands into it-"

"Donna, please!" the Doctor shouted urgently. "We've landed on Tarbus Nine in the year 3,211. _That means," _he continued over her indignation, "That the whole planet is covered in a very deadly airborne virus. I need you to get as far away as you can, the TARDIS will show you where, and not to come back until we've got the place decontaminated."

"And what about you?" Donna asked.

"I'm a Time Lord," the Doctor said. "I'll be fine." But he looked nervously at his hand, where his fingers were already starting to turn green. That was the first sign. "The thing is," he added, "I'll be a carrier, and I'll be very, very contagious. So whatever you do, don't come looking for me before I come looking for you."

"Good luck decontaminating, then," Donna said warily, and turned away. The Doctor listened to her heels clacking their way down the corridors and fought back the taste of bile that was clawing at the back of his throat.

It seemed like centuries before the TARDIS swung the door open. The Doctor nearly fell inside, surprised at how much he had been depending on that door to stand. He didn't have to talk, which was good, since he was still trying not to vomit. He staggered his way through the console room, and into the first door on the right which always became the medical room during emergencies.

Panting with the effort, the Doctor scanned the rows of chemicals and prescriptions and realized he had no idea what he was looking for. The Claw Plague was something one was just supposed to flat out avoid, since no one from the time and place had managed to come up with a cure, and later scientists were merely content to stick a DANGER label on the whole zone and be done with it.

That didn't mean the Doctor was going to give up. But it did mean he started to panic, and the panicking led to a lack of control, and that led to him throwing up all over the floor. He retched for a solid minute, and when he was done he was covered in a sheen of sweat. He was also so weak he couldn't lift himself up to the work station to start mixing chemicals.

_Rest_

The Doctor tried to shake away the voice in his head, disoriented enough not to realize that it was the TARDIS speaking to him. "Can't... Give up..." he gasped, wondering if he would regenerate and how on earth he would convince Donna it was still him and whether or not he'd be ginger.

_Rest_

the TARDIS said again, and nudged at his brain until he rolled backwards onto a low cot that he could have sworn wasn't there a moment ago. He was not inclined to trust his brain very far, however, because the next thing he knew his fever was skyrocketing and he thought he might be watching dancing Daleks. That or he was delusional.

He woke up eight hours and thirty three minutes later, with his head throbbing. Curiosity trumping pain, he looked around. There was a tube stuck into his mouth, which was discharging a sweet-tasting fluid on one end, and getting that fluid from a purple flask a few feet away. There was something cold on his forehead, which was sticking to his hair. He didn't quite feel well enough to stand, but he was able to sit up and look around.

First of all, he realized that he was himself. Which meant that he hadn't regenerated, which meant that the Claw Plague hadn't killed him, which meant that he was cured! He looked at his hands, and noted the pleasing flesh tone to the fingers. "What?" he croaked feebly relief not completely overpowering his confusion.

_My thief is fixed_

The Doctor realized, then. It all made sense, him being better and the lab being quite clean despite his clear memory of regurgitating all over it earlier. The cure was in his mouth, transferred through a bit of tubing and a pump. The TARDIS had been caring for him.

"How did you-?" he began, stopping when he heard his raspy voice properly.

_Data banks relief like my thief fixed_

The Doctor chucked a bit, as he felt the crushing weight of impending doom lifting. "Thank you," he said sincerely, stroking the nearest wall gently. With the tubing in his mouth it came out more like "Thag kyou," but the TARDIS was telepathic; she understood.

Pulling the tube out of his mouth for a moment (and hurriedly putting it in after speaking because he could feel the TARDIS's strong disapproval), he said "I suppose I should look for Donna, then, eh?"

_She is asleep thief should sleep thief will be completely fixed_

And the Doctor knew better than to argue with that.


	5. 5 Five Minutes to Midnight

Hi! This one is one of my favorites, I think. What's _your _favorite? Sorry, that was shameless. Enjoy anyhow!

**5. Five minutes to midnight (with 8!)**

The Doctor sat on the edge of the TARDIS as it floated over the Earth. He kicked his heels in the atmosphere and ate jelly babies out of his pockets. He sniffed the air and tapped out numbers on the wooden step.

"Nineteen sixty six... no, sixty seven," he muttered. Then he closed his eyes, furrowing his brow as his feet flailed more eagerly. "Oh, that's cheating!" he said, glaring at the wooden box. "That's cheating!"

_Guess thief or give in_

"Well I'm not about to do that!" the Doctor said indignantly. He sniffed the air and stuck out his tongue, tasting the bits of smoke and oxygen in the air. "Why don't you shut off the shields, just for a moment?" he asked.

The TARDIS obliged, and the Doctor suddenly found himself clinging precariously to the wooden frame of his ship. The air was thin, and what was there pulled at his long hair, which swarmed in front of his eyes. It was bitterly cold. The Doctor gasped, clutching at his jacket and trying to taste something substantial. Finally, the full force of it hit him.

With one last gasp, he shouted "Earth, nineteen sixty-six, December thirty-first, five minutes to midnight!"

The shielding reappeared immediately. The Doctor slumped against the walls, laughing. "Five minutes to midnight, oh you sneaky girl!"

_You win_

the TARDIS admitted grudgingly. The Doctor sighed in relief. "Tie score now, isn't it?" he asked. "Shall we play again?"

_Yes_

"Pick a time, any time!" He announced confidently, and closed the doors so the TARDIS could start the next round of their game.


	6. 6 Pride

****Hullo! Here's one with the sixth doctor. It probably takes place pretty soon after he regenerated. Hope you all like it!

**6. Pride (introducing 6!)**

The Doctor had got it wrong.

Again.

Even though he had sworn he could never get it wrong. Even though he had said _of course _they were going to Nyith to see dancing flowers that Peri had wanted to visit. Even though he found flowers rather boring, _of course _he could get there.

But he couldn't.

The TARDIS was getting tired of his pride this time around.

He had to be put in his place.

"It's... it's this _machine_!" he raged, thereby ending any chance of choosing his location ever again. "She's got it out for me, I know it!"

The room got a good twenty degrees colder.

"Well you figure it out, or I'm out of here!" Peri shouted, and stomped off, shivering. She had been doing that a lot lately.

The Doctor shrugged his garish coat tighter around his shoulders and sniffed disapproval.

The TARDIS retreated to brood.

"It's not fair," she heard him whining. "I don't understand. Even if you've never been very reliable, you've never been this malicious before!"

_Oh, so I'm not just a machine, now?_

"No, I suppose not," he admitted grudgingly. "But you have been mean."

_So have you_

"Now don't tell me you don't like this face either! I'll have you know it's one of my best ever!"

_You're full of it_

"And you think that just because you're the time machine, you've got _so much _control-"

_I do_

"Hmmph." He scowled. "Would it help if I asked you nicely next time?"

_Maybe_

"Will you at least not mess with the translations? You nearly got us killed!"

_Maybe_

"I knew it! You think I'm a horrible man and I deserve every volcano and tribe of cannibals I get, don't you!" The Doctor raged, screwing up his face in despair. "It's not _fair _I tell you!"

The TARDIS was silent, but the doors slowly opened again on a field of dancing flowers.


	7. 7 Emptiness

Hi! This one's pretty short, and I don't know how I feel about it, but I guess it's decent. I'll probably post another one sometime today.

Shout out to 10Blue10 for commenting! You're the first one, and your enthusiasm made my night! Another shout out to Dragoneisha for alerting this story. That makes me smile. And, of course, to every one of you lurkers out there, thank you just for reading.

As always, I hope you take pleasure in the reading of this!

** 7. Emptiness (mentioning 2!)**

The Doctor has come and gone and come again.

The Thief is new and old and new again.

The Thief has friends, and he leaves with them.

She tries to watch ahead of them, but the timelines jumble so much she gets lost and sidetracked, and then he is back. She has not helped him, and she is only vaguely aware of what her thief has been through. She wishes it was easier to watch, but the possibilities are endless.

She watches the rest of the universe in all its dimensions, and gets sidetracked with small tales and large ones, with future and past events, and people that have and will and never can exist. Sometimes she traces pattens in timestreams, and marvels at the flowers and helixes and faces she sees in them. And yet the story is the same; she cannot assist her Thief.

She tries to watch simply what is, and finds it lonely. Without her thief, there is simply emptiness. Her mind wanders.

She waits until he returns, and then there is everything. There is voice and music and banging on her machinery. There is thinking and feeling and running and fixing. There is life and laughter and possibility. There is the universe inside his head and he shows her in his own simple perceptions and she marvels. When he is attempting to fly her, she sees the vastness of time and space as he sees it, as well as the closeness of his friends, and it excites her.

When he sees her, there is relief and love and safety. There is no more emptiness.

The TARDIS does not like the waiting, but she loves the reunion.


	8. 8 Daydream

Hi again! I was so excited that 10Blue10 and PredatorOfTheDaleks favorited and reviewed my story that I had to go and post another! Thanks guys, that means so much to me!

This one's got the fifth doctor in it! I feel like it might be kind of confusing; it's always hard to tell with my own stuff because _I _know what it's supposed to mean, and it's hard to look at objectively. If it doesn't make sense, let me know and I'll do my best to fix it.

Oh, yes. And this one makes a slight reference to Enlightenment, nothing major, though.

**8. Daydream (Incorporating 5!)**

The Doctor lay on his back in the grass, looking up at the twin green suns in the sky. It was quite a relaxing planet, really. He had chosen well, the Doctor mused. They had all needed a rest after the Eternal Race, and Daydream was known for its relaxing qualities

"Turlough!" Tegan shouted in the distance. The ginger had run off some time ago, possibly to find a new rock to talk to. And of course Tegan hadn't been able to let him alone. Oh, well, it was a bit more peaceful that way...

The Doctor felt his eyes closing softly as he listened to the humming of the spiders in the trees. Well, they weren't spiders exactly, more like birds with multiple legs and webs, and...

He wasn't sure when he had drifted off. Suddenly, though, he was aware of a golden glow sitting beside him. "Oh, hello," he said pleasantly.

The glow turned a yellow eye in his direction. "Hel-lo," it said jerkily, as if it was unused to speaking.

"Don't I know you?" the Doctor asked, squinting into the luminous body. "You seem..."

The glow moved around, seemingly without effort. Suddenly it was on top of the Doctor, and an appendage of some sort was stroking his face while another played with his hair.

"You... know me... so well..."

The Doctor's eyes widened, at first in shock and then in realization. "You!" He exclaimed. The touch in his mind was so familiar that it now seemed impossible to mistake. "How... how did this happen?"

"It is... the planet. It is... the time. 4,309,032,101 seconds from the explosion of Dream, 7,009,737,002 seconds before the point of full dispersal. 432 miles from the epicenter of the explosion..." her eye turned away, as if calculating further.

"I see," the Doctor said, a grin nearly cracking a third of his face off. "The hallucinatory properties of the Great Pollination Effort. I had quite forgotten." He was glad he had remembered now, although it was just a short period in the planet's history. What a coincidence they had landed just now!

"Not just a... mirage" the glow assured him. "It brings life to fantasy and fantasy to life." She was talking, of course, about the Dreamland spores that had been released by the Central Plant about 4,309,032,172 seconds ago. Very interesting neural properties, those spores. He'd never actually experienced it before, but "fantasy to life" seemed to sum it up nicely.

"Yes, I can certainly see that it does," the Doctor said. "They've given my mind enough power to give _you _a... semi-physical form."

"3,211 seconds remain until immunity is reached," the glow murmured softly, stroking her "face" along the Doctor's cheek.

"Well, then," the Doctor said, beaming at the slightly humanoid body of his TARDIS, "I suppose we'd better make the most of it."

His lips found where her lips appeared to be, and there was a shock and a wave and a thousand possible kisses at a thousand possible times all at once.

And they did make the most of it.


	9. 9 All Good Things Must Come to an End

I am so excited with the responses I'm getting to this! Thank you 10Blue10, Dragoneshia, and Maddie Ray for reviewing, and EMill1282 for favoriting and alerting. You guys are making me so happy I got an account.

So today's chapter features the seventh Doctor, who I unfortunately have not watched extensively yet. I think I did okay on his voicing, (I have watched a few episodes!) but if you notice any major issues let me know. When I saw this phrase as a prompt, my immediate thought was "This is going to be a depressing one, isn't it?" Then when I got to it I got a completely different idea, so it's more humorous than angsty! I like it.

**9. All good things must come to an end (Containing 7!)**

The Doctor stared in amazement at the tangle of wires, and felt his jaw go slack. He double checked and triple checked the connections, and banged on a metal panel for good measure. It made no difference.

"What sort of madness is this?" he exclaimed.

The TARDIS thrummed happily, and the Doctor snorted. "I mean really! Of all the preposterous situations!"

_All good things must come to an end_

"Oh, that's not relevant," the Doctor muttered, grabbing his umbrella to do an extra bit of banging. "This is one of those sissy fish situations."

_Sisyphus _

"That's what I said. The man with the rock at any rate. Mind you, he rather deserved what he got." He crawled around under the console, looking for loose ends and faulty connections and strange mistakes. There were none.

"What do you expect me to do when Ace is off sleeping?" The Doctor grumbled.

_I like it_

"Well you would." The Doctor retreated to a corner to sulk. "After all the time I've spent working on you, you have to go and be properly fixed, except for the Chameleon Circuit. It's rather ungrateful, I say."

_I like being complete_

"And I suppose you'll enjoy the absence of my hands playing with your mechanisms," the Doctor said, sparing the central column a sideways glance.

_You will not stop_

"Well I've got no excuse now, do I? I may as well just go exploring on my own."

There was a sudden absence of explicit thought from the machine, save for a small musing murmuring. Just when the Doctor began to think that he had lost, the ship began shaking violently. Sparks flew from the console, and small metal pieces started raining about the room. The Doctor had to shield his face, but he was soon on his feet, banging at the monitor which showed only static.

"What is this?" he muttered, slapping the side of the screen again. It flickered into life, and the Doctor scanned the Galifreyan writing critically. "A black hole? You've flown us into a black hole?"

_Sheepish_

"Ha ha!" the Doctor crowed, rubbing his hands together. "I knew I could count on you!" He crawled back under the console and began fingering the Dimensional Resistor and the Fifth Trimension Auto-Rotor, which had gone up in a short burst of flame during the "accident".

Both beings hummed happily as they worked.


	10. 10 Things Are Different Now

All right! I'm glad so many people liked the last chapter. Thanks 10Blue10, BlueHippo317, and Dragoniesha for reviewing and LadyRainbow for favoriting and alerting. Bowties for all!

So today's story features 11. I know I'm repeating him and I haven't done all the Doctors yet, but fear not! I'm going to give them all close to equal representation (each regeneration gets 4 stories, six of them get one extra each. Yay math!) but I'm also just following the prompts where they take me. So... 11. And River cos she's awesome. Oh yes, and this is the 10th story! 1/5 of the way through the 50 prompts that I have. Wow... that's really weird. I feel like I could keep going forever; these are so much fun to write... Oh well. Rambling over, now enjoy story.

**10. Things are Different Now (Involving 11!)**

"Yes, but but but... how can you fly her?" the Doctor whined, running around the console after a very competent River Song. "No one can fly her!"

"Spoilers," River said, flipping a blue switch and jiggling the Dimension Stabilizer.

"But she's my ship!" the Doctor said, flipping the blue switch back down. The TARDIS suddenly shook violently.

"Oh, Sweetie, now you've cut half the navigation devices," River said. "Really! Can't you just let me fly her properly?"

"No," the Doctor announced, crossing his arms and pouting. "I'm the only one who can fly her, and you certainly can't fly her better."

"Yes, well, things are different, now," River said cheekily. "And I'd recommend getting used to them."

"It's no fair, though!" the Doctor said. "She's my Sexy. And now you're coming in and saying _you're _my sexy, and flying her, and it's just not fair!"

"So you're saying I'm _not _your sexy?" River teased.

"No!" The Doctor answered quickly. "I mean, yes. I mean no. Augh! Rivvver!" He still had no idea what to think about this strange woman. It was rather exciting and also very confusing.

_I am still Thief's Sexy_

"Well, good," the Doctor said in response to this comforting thought from his ship.

"See?" River said, pressing a few carefully chosen buttons. "You're making too big a deal of this."

"Wait," the Doctor said, waving his hands in the air and occasionally running them through his hair. "Wait wait. You understood her?"

River stared at him blankly. "Of course, Sweetie."

"But... People don't understand her! She talks to me and just watches them! No one has really, _really _known her since Rose, and..."

"Well she's always spoken to me," River said. "I am her child, after all." She had crept up behind the Doctor and wrapped her fingers possessively around his shoulders. The Time Lord in question squirmed and looked exceedingly discomfited.

"Um. Yes. Not going to think about that now," he said, wriggling free and tapping on a few more buttons that made the TARDIS rattle again. "Have we got any Jammie Dodgers? I'm famished."

"All out. But we can fly you wherever you like," River taunted. "Down to the exact minute, and I _won't _leave the parking brake on!"

_I like the parking brake_

The Doctor looked around quickly to see if River had heard, but she didn't react in any way. Suddenly more cheerful, the Doctor grinned and ran about the console to mess with something else that he really didn't have a name for, but he knew Sexy liked. She jerked with pleasure, and the Doctor felt a great sense of pride in knowing that only he, not River Song, could excite her that much. Only he, not River Song, was the TARDIS's Thief.


	11. 11 Forgive and Forget

Hey! This is an angsty one today, sorry! The next one should be really happy, but I don't know when I'll get a chance to post. I'm going to a writing workshop, so... road trip! And no idea if/when I'll be able to get on fanfiction. I'll be back soon, though!

As always, thank you to everyone who's read this, specifically Dragoneisha and BlueHippo317 for reviewing and mamc97nolongeranonymous for favoriting and alerting.

On with the angst! Features part of the Time War. Poor 9. I promise his next one will be happier.

**11. Forgive and Forget**

The Doctor sat in the smallest compartment he could find and stared out blindly. His arms were wrapped around his knees and he shuddered as he stared, rocking back and forth slowly.

It was shock, really. Regeneration had not gone well, and what had happened before, well, that was an abomination.

That was the Time War.

That was hell.

He tried to memorize the pattern of blood staining the wall in front of him. Somehow it seemed important. Then he had a thought, his first truly coherent one in quite some time.

"It's funny, really," the Doctor said, his new voice sounding raw and hoarse and empty in the expanse of the new TARDIS. "It's funny, really," he tried again. "That old Earth saying, 'forgive and forget.' It's utter rubbish, isn't it?"

The TARDIS spared a moment of _assent _for the Doctor's thought. She was crying, and had been for some time. He could feel her sorrow in his bones. She was the last of her kind now, as well, and it hurt.

It was his fault she was hurting.

"I don't ever expect you to forgive me," the Doctor said. "You may as well drop me off in the first star you come to." He was almost hoping she would. What was there for him in the universe now? He was a monster.

But the TARDIS didn't drop him in a star. She didn't land in a volcano or freeze them both to death in Pluto's Ice-chest. No, instead she brought him to Earth and let him get distracted. She forced his curiosity back into the open, and in doing so revived herself.

They traveled and they collected friends and enemies. They laughed and they cried and they ran for their lives. They managed for the most part not to think about the slaughter of Time Lords and TARDISes that they had somehow escaped.

But neither forgave and neither forgot.


	12. 12 Cold December Night

Hey everyone!

I'm currently two states away from home, in a motel that we finally found near one in the morning. I've got the next one written, though, and I want to be on a happier note, so here's some fluff. Meanwhile, thank you Dragoneisha and J. for reviewing, I'm glad you guys liked it. (Sorry for making you cry, Dragoneisha!) Also thanks to Imagination Queen for favoritng and Avalonemyst for alerting my story.

I'm going to be really busy this weekend, so once again I don't know when I'll be able to post. I'm practically falling asleep now as it is... But I'll update eventually.

This episode has 4, finally! That's every Doctor at least once! Also, it's really fluffy to counteract the angst. I just got this image in my head (you'll know which one!) and my whole brain just went "what the hell!" Enjoy!

**12. Cold December Night (Premièring 4!)**

exactly her century, but the Doctor had been kind enough to take her to Earth and then stay behind while she did her Christmas shopping, so she didn't mind. It was very cold, however, and her breath floated out in clouds of frost as she shivered her way up the slope.

It was utterly quiet except for her footsteps, and the night had an almost magical quality to it. "Doctor?" she called softly, and frowned when there was no reply. He had _promised _he wasn't going to come looking for her! She had made him promise, because otherwise there was absolutely no chance that she could surprise him.

As the TARDIS came into view, however, she saw that he had remained true to his word. He was sitting- in the snow!- with his back leaning up against the blue police box they traveled in. He was gazing at the stars with a faraway look on his face, and mumbling things in Gallifreyan under his breath to no one in particular. Unless he was talking to the TARDIS, which Sarah Jane wouldn't put past him.

The most striking thing about the whole scene, however, was the Doctor's scarf. Not only was the extra long striped fabric wound about his neck, it was wrapped several times around the TARDIS as well. The TARDIS couldn't possibly need it for warmth, and it couldn't be doing the Doctor any extra good that way either, but nonetheless there they were, snuggled together.

It was surprisingly adorable.

"Doctor?" Sarah Jane said softly, reluctant to break the moment. She would have waited longer, but it was quite cold, and she felt awkward just standing there.

The Doctor looked up. "Oh, hello Sarah," he said cheerfully. "Lovely night, isn't it?"

"It's a bit chilly," Sarah Jane couldn't help pointing out.

"Oh, it's not so bad," the Doctor grinned. "And there's quite a lovely view of the stars tonight. See there? That's the Nitex giant there." He pointed to a vague spot in the sky. Then he frowned. "What?" he said, towards the TARDIS. "Oh, I'm sorry. Nitey's over there. That's the Green Regalia."

"I've never heard of any of those," Sarah said. "But I suppose they're alien names for the same stars, aren't they?"

"Quite right!" the Doctor said, and tugged on his scarf as he tried to stand. "Hmmm. I seem to be rather tangled."

Sarah stepped forward to help, but the scarf slackened suddenly, and the Doctor began winding it into loops around his arm.

"It seems to get longer every time I see it," Sarah commented.

"Oh, not really. This is just the one I save for cold December nights!" With a grin and a cheerful pat of the TARDIS, the Doctor disappeared inside, leaving Sarah Jane to shake her head in wonder.


	13. 13 Beautiful

I'm in a motel now; yay wifi! Sorry for messing with your expectations so much...I'll let you know when I'm back home safe and sound, but until then... who knows!

Anyway, thank you 10Blue10 and the Guest calling him/herself Dalek theSupreme. I'm glad you're enjoying it, and Dalek: thanks for the suggestion! I actually have yet to watch Earthshock, but I've been planning on it, and as soon as I can get to the library I'll check it out. Also thanks iTorchic for following the story!

Spoiler alert: I was stumped for this one. Then I watched the episode The Mind Robbers, and 2 made a completely random, offhand comment that I decided to run away with. And adapt for this prompt, because I didn't have any other ideas and I'm going in order. So... references to The Mind Robbers, which is pretty awesome and bizarre and has some unique cliffhangers! I'm not quite sure how much I like this one, so let me know what you think!

Everyone reading: You're fantastic!

**13. Beautiful (Accommodating 2!)**

"I wish I believed in wishing wells" the Doctor had muttered offhandedly.

The TARDIS had heard the Doctor when he had wished. It was a bit complicated, what with not being within the boundaries of time and space and actually being fictionally exploded. But she had heard, and amidst all the other things he muttered, this one seemed possible for her to respond to. And because her thief had wished, she wanted to grant it.

It took quite a bit of searching in her data banks before she determined a suitable location. Then, of course, she had to get him there.

One uneventful day, when Jamie and Zoe were off exploring the wardrobe, the TARDIS landed. She watched as the Doctor opened the doors to a rather bleak looking landscape, full of grays and browns and the occasional black rock. "Well well well," He muttered, peering around the door. "This doesn't seem like the most inviting place, now does it?" Despite his skeptical words, the TARDIS could sense the quickening of his mind and the racing of his hearts that happened whenever he was confronted with something new.

The Doctor tiptoed outside, and looked around. There was a dusty beige path winding down into the distance. He kicked at it for a minute, and then decided to wander off it into the dry, grey grass. Just as she had expected.

She watched him walk for about a minute, before he came to the ideal location. This wasn't coincidence; he had seen the blot on the horizon from the moment he set out. She had made sure of that.

And then there he was, standing in front of a wishing well.

He chucked when he saw it. "Oh, not another one of these," he said to the air, although the TARDIS could see he was curious. "A whole bleak planet just for one little wishing well? Yes, yes, this is an unusual place."

One of the stones on the lip of the well had carving in it, in shaky handwriting. The Doctor would write it someday, in the past when he will be a believer. But for now, it was just an faint scrawl that the Doctor ran his sensitive fingers over.

The carving said _wish. _

There was a small pile of shiny discs piled next to the message. The Doctor picked one up and spun it in his fingers, thinking. Thinking in the wrong direction.

The TARDIS nudged at his mind impatiently. _Wish._

"All right! All right!" the Doctor snapped. "I'll make the wish!" He fingered the coin for a moment longer, and then tossed it in, closing his eyes. "I wish... I wish this planet was a bit nicer to look at." He listened to the metal clinking its way down the well. "There," he said irritably. "Happy now?" He cracked his eyes open slowly.

The world was colors. The grass was purple and the sky shone silver. A dark blue mist wound its way around the ground and tickled the Doctor's legs. His eyebrows flew up his forehead as he gaped around the planet. "Well this... this is amazing!" he exclaimed. "This is absolutely beautiful!"

The TARDIS couldn't help but radiate smugness throughout his mind.

"It works!" the Doctor said in awe. "It actually works!" Both he and the TARDIS knew that it probably only applied to that planet, at that time, but the ripple of excitement was ignorant of such mundane limitations. The Doctor picked up another coin, contemplating, when he was interrupted.

"Doctor?" Zoe called from the TARDIS.

"Oh," the Doctor muttered. "Oh, dear. I don't suppose I ought to let them see all this," he muttered, hurrying back to his ship. "Why don't we just... save this for a special occasion? Hmmm, yes. Off to somewhere else now." He barged back in the doors, explaining loudly that there was nothing to see out there, but there was a newfound smile on his face and a spring in his step.

Now he knew he could dare to wish.

And it was beautiful.


	14. 14 Dance With Me

****Yay! I'm back from my writing camp- it was the most amazing thing ever. So busy! This one I've been waiting for since I saw the list- I knew exactly what I was going to do with it. Hope you like it!

SPOILER ALERT for The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances- this one takes place at the very end of the second part. (P.S. those are some of my favorite episodes EVER!)

Thank's everyone who's read the story, and especially BlueHippo317 for reviewing and Kestrel Silverleaf for alerting and favoriting. I think that's all for now, so on with the story!

**14. Dance With Me (Presenting 9!)**

The Doctor was grinning as he tapped out a rhythm on the console and hummed melodies to himself. Everybody had lived, and he had danced with Rose and he had danced with Jack, and he had watched the two of them dance together. All in all it was a good night. Jack and Rose had gone off to bed, hopefully not together, and now the Doctor was left alone in the console room, with strains of "In the Mood" replaying again and again in his head.

Things might actually be getting better.

He was even considering going to sleep while he had the chance, but the darkness that plucked at his subconscious was enough to deter him from taking any action in that direction. Oh, well.

He was banging on the dimensional jiggledygook, or something like that, when the music started up again. Somehow he recognized the tune as another period-appropriate jazz piece, "Begin The Beguine."

"What's this?" he said aloud. "They've all tucked in, you know."

_Dance with me_

He grinned, and patted the console fondly. "All right, girl. Let's see what we can do, eh?" He started moving his feet in time to the rhythm, letting his hands play over the controls. They vibrated under his touch in time with his steps, sending small jolts of energy into his fingertips.

Stray bits of wire somehow managed to twine themselves around his hands, and he tugged them gently as he continued his slightly awkward dance around the center column. As the dance progressed, it became less wires and gears and thingamabobs, and more pure huron energy swirling around the Time Lord, swaying along with the more physical body. The Doctor closed his eyes, and let the music overtake his movements completely.

He didn't speak; too distracting. Instead he knew that his thoughts were being absorbed and understood by his beautiful ship, and hers by him. It was enough. The one exception was the occasional utterance of "Fantastic" that graced his lips.

"Doctor?"

The music and dancing stopped immediately, and the golden swirls of energy retreated back into the console. The Doctor looked over to where Jack was standing, in nothing but his boxers of course.

"What are you doing here?" the Doctor snapped irritably, scowling at the time agent.

Jack scratched his head and grinned. "I heard music and thought I was missing something," he said. "I can see now that I was."

"I thought you were going to keep them all out," the Doctor muttered to his ship.

_I was distracted_

"So can I join you?" Jack asked, turning his charm up a few notches.

"No," the Doctor said firmly. "We're off to bed now, gotta be rested for tomorrow, yeah?"

Jack sighed and shook his head skeptically. "If you say so," he said. "But call me if you change your mind." He shot the Time Lord one last grin over his shoulder before disappearing down a corridor.

The Doctor sighed, and slumped against the console.

_Accidental intrusion_

"Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" the Doctor replied grouchily. "If only someone could twist the corridors around to keep that from happening," he grumbled sarcastically.

_All better now_

The thought was accompanied by a soft resurgence of music, and the Doctor couldn't help smiling. "You're fantastic," he murmured. "Well come on then, dance with me, if that's what you want!"

So they danced.


	15. 15 Why Me?

Hello again! Sorry I didn't update yesterday. Life was chaos, and the only writing I did was some depressing non-Doctor who related stuff that I'm probably never going to work on again. Somewhat fittingly, today I've got a nice depressing Doctor who related stuff. Sorry. That Time War is so inconvientley big and important and inspiring... it leads to all sorts of depressing things. Oh, well.

Thank you 10Blue10 for reviewing, also for naming our lovely little ship here the DocTAR. I think it's brilliant. Do you think it's brilliant! You're awesome sauce! Everyone else who's been reading, thank you loads as well.

Anyway, on with the Vworping!

**15. Why Me? (In which 8 appears!)**

The Doctor's fingers trembled as he looked at the button in his hands. His ship shook around him, but he made no frantic lunge to the controls to steady her. He just stared.

"I'm not going to use this," he said, still fixated on the remote control.

The TARDIS was strangely silent.

"I'm not!" the Doctor shouted, shaking his curls around frantically. "I'm never going to. I can't."

_You can_

The console room shook again, sending the Doctor sprawling on the floor. He started scrambling, his shoes catching in his long coat as he crawled until he was huddling under the console.

"They gave it to me," he said disbelievingly. "Why did they give it to me? Why me?"

_You can do it They cannot_

"But why!" He was crying now, still staring dumbly, tears crawling down his face.

_It is the price of your experience_

When he didn't respond, she added

_The timelines converge_

After all the missions he had done for the Time Lords, after all the worlds he had saved and destroyed... was he truly the only one with experience enough to break through the Dalek lines and end the war? "Well then why didn't you warn me, if I've brought this on myself?" he said. "Why... why didn't you?"

_You must travel_

The Doctor tried to swallow, and failed. Yes, he had always needed to travel; that's why he stole a TARDIS. But if he had known what it was going to lead to...

"I'm going to die," the Doctor said. "I mean really and truly this time." His voice was hollow, and he ignored the fires that had sprung up in various corners of the room. They were of no consequence. Nothing mattered except the choice he held in his hand.

_You will be at the epicenter You will die only once and escape the Time Lock_

"And that's it?" he said, his voice trembling. "I'll survive and everyone else will die? What sort of a life is that?"

He could feel the mournful throbbing of the TARDIS as she considered. She didn't like it any more than he did, but she laid out the options again clearly in his mind.

_You fly into the Volatile Zone and cause the fire You live Time lives_

_You do not fly into the Volatile Zone and you die I die They die Time dies_

"It's not fair," he murmured, closing his eyes and trembling at the darkness. "I can't do it."

_You will be so sad All will be sad_

_All will be alive_

There was a sudden increase in vibrations, and not just from the explosions outside. The TARDIS was moving. She was taking him... where? Far away from the feel of it. Outside the war. But they couldn't do that. It wasn't allowed.

_We always break the rules_

The doors opened, and the Doctor knew better than to ignore them. He crawled over and peered outside.

It was Earth. It was always Earth. It was a London street, early 21st century. Humans were bustling about with their trivial, extraordinary, simple, amazing lives. They were completely oblivious to the trauma in the universe, as they always were.

And then the planet shook. A wave of energy swept across the street, and when the Doctor, protected by the TARDIS's shielding, opened his eyes he saw ash. He saw chunks of planet, with the occasional shop sign, floating past in space, flickering in and out of existence as if they were trying to decide whether they had ever truly been there at all. He saw bones that became people and then became atoms and then ceased to be and then repeated the whole process.

_I am sorry but Time must be saved_

"No..." the Doctor breathed. "No, not here, not now."

_The war is everywhere and everywhen_

But he didn't have to stare long. Another wave of counter-energy swept past, and the street was intact again, as if it always had been. A lady bought an ice cream cone. A little boy lost his balloon.

_Stuck in limbo until the war ends_

The Doctor had no words. He nodded silently, and the doors closed as the TARDIS returned to the war. "It hurts," the Doctor whimpered, his knuckles turning white as he clutched the remote. He thought he would be sick. He thought his hearts would explode.

_I will be here for you Thief It will hurt and we will continue _

She squeezed her essence reassuringly around the comfort centers of his brain as they hurtled into the eye of the storm, and into the fire.


	16. 16 Dangerous Promise

Hello all my lovely readers! I hope life is going well. Today's story is nice and fluffy, and I hope you enjoy it. It was centered around another one of those images that I just couldn't get out of my head.

Thank you 10Blue10, Kestrel Silverleaf, Nacanaca, and subwife (four times!) for reviewing, I'm so glad you like my writing so much! Also more thanks to Nacanaca and subwife for following my story, and Nacanaca for favoriting it. Virtual Jelly Babies to you all!

Spoilers in this one for basically Turlough's backstory, just a little bit. Nothing too horrible, just some mentioning.

Enjoy!

**16. Dangerous Promise (starring 5!)**

The Time Lord was acting suspicious.

He turned tail and very nearly sprinted away when he saw Tegan coming. "Doctor!" she shouted, and he froze suddenly, guiltily, in his tracks. He didn't turn around.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, approaching.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," the Doctor said, but he still didn't face Tegan.

"Oh no? You've only been sneaking around here like you've stolen a boxful of cookies that you don't want to share. And if I'm flying around to who-knows-where with you the only one with any idea what's going on, I think I've got a right to know if something's wrong!"

The Doctor smiled disarmingly. "Is that your way of saying you're worried about me?" he asked mildly.

"Maybe," Tegan said. "But I just know you're up to something."

"Now that's ridiculous. I've merely entered into a dangerous promise with a powerful entity. There's absolutely nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about? Doctor!" Tegan stomped her foot as the Doctor continued on his present course. "Tell me what's happening!" She wasn't about to admit it, but after Turlough and the Black Guardian she was even more paranoid than usual about suspicious behavior, and especially promises with powerful entities. Even though it was the Doctor...

"I assure you that everything's perfectly normal," the Doctor said.

"Then can I come with you?"

"Well..." the Doctor seemed to be weighing the odds between trying to talk the Australian out of it and giving in. Finally he sighed. "Oh, very well, Tegan. But you're to stay back."

"Stay back from what?" Tegan asked, but to no avail. The Doctor merely wandered on, leaving her to stomp after him.

At last they came to yet another room that Tegan had never seen before. That was hardly surprising, though, so she simply followed the Doctor inside. Inside it was mostly bare, except for a large pit ringed with blue metal and silver rivets. Writhing inside the pit was a fierce, wild, golden light.

"What is this place?" she breathed.

The Doctor grinned. "Special access port to the heart of the TARDIS. That's pure Huron energy down there... so you might want to stay against the wall." He held out a hand to stop her from stepping closer for a better look. When she stiffened, he relaxed and sauntered over to the pit.

"Doctor!" Tegan hissed, afraid for no apparent reason of raising her voice. She was also beginning to be afraid of what the Doctor was going to do with all that energy.

He waved her aside and sat down carefully at the edge of the pit. The golden energy licked at his ankles, but seemed to have no negative effect on him. Was it merely because he was a Time Lord? Tegan couldn't be sure.

The Doctor then started rummaging in his pocket, frowning in concentration as he did so. "What are you doing?" Tegan whispered, but he ignored her in favor of a cheerful "Here we are!" as he pulled out a white paper bag. The lip was folded down, and the Doctor reached his hand in to pull out a handful of multicolored... things. He smiled, and threw one into the glowing depths. The next one he considered for a moment, and then ate.

"What are those things?" Tegan asked, stepping gingerly forward. "It's not some kind of black magic ritual, is it?"

The Doctor chuckled. "Of course not," he said. "These are jelly babies. The TARDIS is terribly fond of them. I don't like them quite as much as my last self did, but I did promise her some, and I'm not about to back out on that."

"But you said it was dangerous!"

"Yes, I did." The Doctor tossed another candy into the energy, and Tegan watched with fascination as the golden light seemed to tear it apart bit by bit, until there was nothing left. "You see," the Doctor continued, "I'm not completely certain that if someone like you or me were to fall in, we wouldn't go the same way as the jelly baby."

"You mean the TARDIS would eat us?" Tegan cried.

The Doctor shrugged. "I'm not quite sure. But I'd prefer not to find out, wouldn't you?"

Tegan rolled her eyes skyward. "So tell me if I've got this wrong," she said. "You're sitting next to a pit of possibly dangerous energy, feeding your time machine candy."

"Excellent job, Tegan!"

"I don't believe this."

The Doctor tossed another candy into the shining depths as Tegan groaned and walked away. As innocent as he looked, sometimes that man could be far too alien for comfort.


	17. 17 Enemy

Hi again! This one's called Enemy, and although I tried, the Master just would not cooperate in this story. I wrote one, and it was horrible, so he is no longer in the story. Perhaps he'll appear later?

Anyway, I thank Nacanaca and 10Blue10 and Duskfire for their reviews, and SkyHolt and Demon of _Security _(Sorry for getting your name wrong! My bad!) for favoriting and alerting. Hooray! You all are amazing.

I don't have much else to say today, so without further ado, here is the story!

**17. Enemy (Promoting 3!)**

The Doctor carefully wiped his greasy hands off on a rag as he returned to his laboratory, muttering under his breath as he was in the habit of doing. He went straight to his test tubes a beakers, determined to finally get to the bottom of the composition of the alien goo a UNIT man had carelessly tracked in. He had a feeling it might be carnivorous.

He was in the midst of mixing two particularly dangerous chemicals, one yellow the other blue, when he felt a sudden wave of negative energy wash over his mind. He started, the blue spilled, and a small fire started on his worktable.

"Oh, not again!" he shouted, coughing and waving his arms about as he tried to find another chemical to put out the fire. It was another five minutes before he was fairly sure that the table was safe, even if it did have a large hole burned through the center.

Then he turned to his TARDIS.

"What was then for, then?" He asked, knowing full well that the unpleasant emotion had come from the heart of the police box sitting in the corner. "You could have sent this whole place up, and then where would we be?"

The TARDIS's mind seemed quite distant, so he banged on the side of the box and repeated his question. As her focus returned, he could feel sorrowful thoughts. "Well, what is it?" he asked.

_I miss you_

"Why that's preposterous!" the Doctor exclaimed. "I'm right here, aren't I?"

_I miss you being mine so I watch how it will be when you are mine again_

"Just what is that supposed to mean?" the Doctor asked. "Of course I'm yours."

_I am sharing you and it makes me so sad I want to adventure with you and she does instead_

_I miss you_

The Doctor considered for a moment. "Are you trying to tell me," he said slowly, puzzling it out, "that you're jealous?"

_I watch the future and the past when you are mine_

"Listen old girl," the Doctor said, "You have absolutely no reason to think that I prefer adventuring with these silly little humans to adventuring with you. But I don't seem to have much choice in the matter."

_Not the humans_

The Doctor frowned again, so the TARDIS reluctantly supplied more.

_Your three-dimensional TARDIS you love her and travel with her_

"Do you mean Bessie?" the Doctor asked, immediately smiling at the thought of his rickety yellow automobile. She had become perfectly invaluable to him now that he was planet-bound, and he rather enjoyed tinkering with her simplistic engine when he had the occasion to. In fact, that was just what he had come from doing.

_Yellow three-dimensional TARDIS Bessie has taken you_

"Oh, tosh!" the Doctor said. "Bessie isn't your enemy, nor mine. She's just what I need to get around now that you're out of order."

_I miss you I must visit the future because it is so dull and she has you and adventure and I have a dull room and all of time to watch_

"Now now, calm down. If you've got all of Time to watch, you must know when I finally do get you repaired."

_Yes_

"Then you know that Bessie's only temporary. And yes, I do like her very much, though she's hardly as lovely as you are. But you can't expect me to walk everywhere, now can you? I'd never get anywhere and the planet would probably be destroyed, UNIT or no UNIT."

_Understanding_

"Good. Now that's settled. I think you might actually quite like her if you gave her a chance."

_I will and I will timestreams align_

"Then you've nothing to worry about!" the Doctor said, very pleased with himself. "Except I do have to repair this unfortunate work table."

_I will be watching the future when you are mine_

The Doctor sighed, and turned back to his experimentation, feeling his ship's presence drifting farther and farther away. That was one advantage with Bessie; she never shunned him for a more interesting time. She didn't even feel envy. But despite all that, the TARDIS really had no reason to be jealous. She knew he would always be hers.


	18. 18 I Did it Because I Love You

Hello all!

Today, I have been informed, is Bad Wolf day, wherein people write Bad Wolf all over the place. My friend and I are going to celebrate with lots of sidewalk chalk! Hooray!

In honor of Bad Wolf Day, I have a new story that actually... kind of is vaguely related to Bad Wolf... wow that was a coincidence... So yes! This one kind of stumped me for a while, until I figured out who I wanted to be saying the title line, and then it all clicked into place.

SPOILERS for Utopia, and sort of the Bad Wolf episodes. This actually takes place DURING Utopia, sometime after they're at the edge of the universe, and before 10 explains to Jack exactly what has happened to him, and all that other dramatic stuff happens.

Before we begin, thank you Demon of Serenity (I got your name right this time! So sorry for the mistake!), Maddie Ray, and SilentGuest for their reviews, and Maddie Ray again for alerting my story! You make me so happy!

For anyone who's heard the sad, sad news, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I actually heard it first from 10Blue10, thanks for the warning... (Crying in a corner). Hugs to you all, and virtual Jammie Dodgers.

Whew... emotionally drained by that into. It was really long. So without further ado, here's the actual story!

**18. I Did it Because I Love You**

"Listen, Jack," the Doctor murmured under his breath so Martha wouldn't hear. "Don't you ever do that again."

"Do what?" Jack asked, laying a conspicuous hand on the Doctor's shoulder where it was quickly shaken off. "Are we back on saying hello?"

"You know what I mean," the Doctor said, deadly serious for once. "The way you came running at the TARDIS back on Earth."

"I only did it because I love you," Jack tried, still trying to get a handle on this new regeneration. He thought flirting was a good way to start.

"Nah," the Doctor said, "You're just looking for me because you want answers."

"Maybe so," Jack said, "But is it so bad if you're my preferred source of information?"

"Yes," the Doctor said unexpectedly stern again. He quickened his pace down the corridor full of Futurekind, still keeping his voice in a low whisper. "I can't let you come running after me whenever I come around because it's not harmless and it's not safe. It's your fault we're in this mess in the first place, and I will _not _let it happen again."

"Hey, hold on there!" Jack exclaimed. "I said I was sorry. Isn't that good enough for you?"

The Doctor ran his hands through his rather ubiquitous hair and sighed. "This isn't about me," he admitted. "Well, it sort of is. _Well, _yes it is. But not just trip here, well, I'm not mad about that. New people to meet, monsters to run from, not exactly the end of the world, is it? Well, except that it is. But anyway," he paused for breath, and Jack just watched him apprehensively, "I wouldn't mind meeting you again quite so much if you hadn't scared her."

"You mean Martha?" Jack asked. "She seemed fine to me. Great at mouth-to-mouth."

"Jack..." the Doctor whined. "Not Martha."

Jack was intrigued. "Hold on there, Doc!" he said. "Are you hiding other girls that you haven't introduced yet!"

"No!" the Doctor cried, scandalized. "No no no no no. I'm talking about the TARDIS."

"The TARDIS?"

"Jack, when she felt you charging toward her like that she was terrified. She ran to the ends of the universe to get away from you. That's..."

"She knows who I am, though, right?" Jack asked. "I can't have made that bad a first impression."

"It's not who you are, it's _what _you are. And she can't stand to be around you. I can't either, to be honest. It's the way Time bends to accommodate you, it's just _wrong._ So you're never, ever to come chasing her again Jack. I won't let you panic her any more than you already have."

"Fine, I promise," Jack said. "But about what I am..."

But they had returned to professor Yana's laboratory, and the Doctor was off to play with technology, only stalling the explanation that Jack needed. The Fixed Point In Time sighed, and decided to help. He had no idea that the new Doctor could be that protective. It was quite a turn-on.


	19. 19 Beginning

Hi! I went into my email today and found a super number of alerts and favorites and reviews. So thank you Sandpiper01, Storme22, and 10Blue10 for reviewing; and Sandpiper01, Storme22, and Fanfickisara for favoriting and alerting. You guys are AWESOME!

There's not too much to say about this one. I feel like I wasn't terribly original with the prompt, but I like it. It's got the first Doctor! Yay!

Enjoy you fantastic people, you!

**19. Beginning (Visited by 1!)**

"Take them back, do you hear me? Take them _back!_" The Doctor rapped on the TARDIS console with his cane, fuming. "They have no business being here!"

_They have purpose_

"Oh, they do, do they? Then pray tell me what it is, hmmm?" The Doctor was not aware that the TARDIS had been rearranging corridors so that the humans in question couldn't hear his tirade. He didn't much care if they heard; he was very sure that he did not want them aboard his ship and if offending them would in any way speed the process along...

_They are companions_

"Oh, really? Well I suppose it never occurred to you that I don't need companions, that I don't want companions, and that if I did, I would certainly rather pick them out for myself!" The Doctor paced into a corner and crossed his arms, staring haughtily at the white patterned walls.

_You need companions_

"I tell you I do not!" He exclaimed again.

_You will_

"Nonsense. Utter nonsense."

The TARDIS had decided that enough was enough, and suddenly allowed the wandering humans into the console room. She absolutely would not give in because she absolutely knew that the Doctor had, did, and would need someone, whether he wanted them or not.

"Oh, Hello, Doctor!" The human male, Ian Chesterton called out. "We had quite a time working our way through all those corridors you've got back there."

"Oh, how very unfortunate," the Doctor said bitterly.

"Yes," Ian said. "It was quite an ordeal. Nothing compared to what we'd find outside, though, is it?"

In answer, the TARDIS swung her doors open onto a terribly intriguing purple landscape.

"Well then," Ian said brightly. "Let's go and have a look, shall we?"

As the Doctor spared a loathing glance at the console, the TARDIS clearly let him know what was in store.

_This is only the beginning_


	20. 20 Only the Best

Apologies for this being so very, very late. First my muse abandoned me, and I stared at the prompt blankly for quite some time. Then Five decided that he wanted to go again, even though he's already gone twice, and on top of that insisted on writing himself out of character so I had to go back and rewrite the whole story. I was planning on posting last night, but my computer wouldn't load my account, so I was sad. FINALLY, though, here it is!

Thank you Missybailey for reviewing (9 times!) and favoriting and following! Also thanks Maddie Raye for reviewing, and CellophaneCatastrophy for following the story! You all get virtual bananas! Bananas are good.

So here it is. Kinda angsty and- oh yeah! MEGA SPOILERS for the episode Earthshock- also thanks random guest Dalek TheSupreme for recommending that I watch this. This story is what finally came of it, so Enjoy!

**20. Only the Best (Consoling 5!)**

The Doctor stared at the viewscreen in shock. He was stunned. He watched the continents, all mushed into one continental stew, and felt he saw the death and regeneration of one of his favorite planets in all the universe. He was vaguely aware that Nyssa and Tegan were off crying, but that hardly seemed to matter. He was really getting old, wasn't he?

The TARDIS nudged tentatively at his mind, but he brushed her aside. "No thanks to you," he muttered.

_Sorry_

"Yes, and I'm sorry too. We can all be sorry for the rest of our lives, and that isn't going to change anything, is it?" It came out much angrier than he had intended it to, but now that he thought about it, she really hadn't been able to help.

_I couldn't lock on_

"That's no excuse," the Doctor responded. "Even if it is true."

_I was damaged_

"Hmm?" The Doctor tore his gaze away from the view of prehistoric Earth before him, and turned his attention to the console. Sure enough, the gadgetry was marred by scorch marks and loose wires and other damage from the cyberman's weapon-of-the-day. "Oh dear," the Doctor murmured, and ran a hand over the injury. The TARDIS shuddered at the touch.

"I always say," the Doctor mused, his train of thought not quite having gotten back on the tracks since the calamity, "That I only take the best. Not just anyone can join us, eh old girl?" He took a deep breath, and continued, "But what's the point of it, really, if they're just going to die? Adric died. He's _dead._ And neither of us could do a thing. " His voice was shaking by the end of that statement, and he finished closing his eyes and slumping over the console. "And the worst part is it's happened before."

_Any time is better than no time and all is precious_

The Doctor sighed. "I suppose you're right," he conceded. "But we should have done _something. _He was our responsibility."

_It was a fixed point in time_

"I," the Doctor proclaimed slowly "can't _stand _fixed points in time." And he couldn't- the stagnation put his nerves on end in a way that never seemed to bother the other Time Lords. It was worst when the fixed point was a calamity, as it usually was. The Doctor's instinctive time-sense could feel the rightness of Time playing out as it should, but at the same time his hearts, or more accurately his compassion and sympathy, could feel the _wrongness _of whatever deaths were fated to be caused. Like this one. "But Adric wasn't part of the fixed point, was he? He was an unfortunate casualty. And now he's dead_."_

The TARDIS squirmed uncomfortably.

_The situation was precarious_

"I see." The Doctor began picking at the wires and cogs inside the TARDIS console. He wasn't being particularly gentle to either the TARDIS or himself, and could feel the TARDIS wincing as her inside bits broke his skin and scorched his palms. "Neither of us," he said firmly, "is innocent."

_Thief his alternate timeline was one of atrophy and misery_

"And life?"

_Grieve and remember and live because no one lives forever_

The Doctor gave up on trying to fix anything. He had already made enough of a mess of things today, he didn't need to short circuit or irritate his TARDIS as well.


	21. 21 Our Little Secret

Hello again! To make up for waiting so long to upload, I'm posting (gasp) two today! Hooray! I like this one very much. Underlined words are for a certain character talking, because I needed them to look different.

Really no spoilers in this one, except for general 4 era stuff. And I haven't seen enough to be sure if K9 actually does TARDIS maintenance, but I figured he might at some point, so that's what he's doing here. And now... on with the story!

**21. Our Little Secret (announcing 4!)**

"Master," the metallic voice droned from somewhere beneath the TARDIS console.

"Yes?" the Doctor asked, looking up for a moment from his paper. He was sprawled stomach-down on the floor, an assortment of crayons clutched in his hands and a bag of jelly babies spilling onto the folds of his scarf. "What is it you want, K9?"

The robot dog trundled out from behind the console. "I have been examining your TARDIS. There are many parts in need of repair."

"Oh, that's hardly surprising," the Doctor muttered. "And I told you I'd get around to those myself."

"I have located the most constant malfunction in the system," K9 informed the Time Lord. "It requires only simple adjustments."

"Oh really? And are you preposing to fix it yourself then?"

"Affirmative."

The Doctor frowned in puzzlement and scratched his head with the blunt end of an apricot-colored crayon. "Well if it's that simple I ought to be able to take care of it myself," he responded. "Now why don't you mind your own business? Surely you've got something else to occupy your time."

K9's receptor ears swiveled about as he scanned the ship in vain for a new purpose. "Negative, Master," he replied.

"Hmmm," the Doctor mused. "Have you ever tried coloring?" he asked suddenly.

"Negative."

"Well you really ought to give it a try. It's wonderful fun, especially when you ignore all the lines that have already been drawn in for you."

"TARDIS Maintenance has a higher priority," K9 insisted, not quite sure what to make of that suggestion. "The component in question has been out of order for centuries."

"Oh come now," the Doctor insisted. "Surely I haven't been that neglectful. What part is it, anyway?"

"The Chameleon Circuit."

"Oh," the Doctor said, suddenly going very serious. "I see."

"Shall I begin repair procedures?"

"No!" the Doctor exclaimed. "You are not to fix the Chameleon Circuit, whatever the circumstances."

"That is illogical. The Chameleon Circuit is designed to protect the TARDIS and its occupants by formulating a disguise consistent with the current location. It serves no purpose if it is broken. The repairs will take very few resources."

"I still say no."

"That is an illogical course of action."

"Not at all," the Doctor said. "The Chameleon Circuit hasn't worked in centuries because I quite like the TARDIS this way. She's very pretty, don't you think?"

"The question is irrelevant."

"Yes, well she is."

"Master, you have on many occasions remarked that the damage is unfortunate," K9 couldn't help pointing out. Such incidents were stored in his data banks, after all.

"Hmmm, I suppose I have," the Doctor said. "Well you're not to tell anyone else the truth, all right K9? Especially not Romana. Some people have no respect for the beauty in life, so It'll be our little secret."

"Affirmative," K9 agreed, but the monotone sounded sulky.

"Good boy," the Doctor said, and raised a jelly baby in the air as a reward. K9's sensors regarded it skeptically, and, unsure of what else he was supposed to do, he began reciting the chemical composition of the treat.

_Thank you_

The TARDIS thought at the Doctor. She wasn't keen on having her Chameleon Circuit messed with either, and it was good that her thief agreed.

"You're welcome," the Doctor said aloud, bewildering K9. "Would _you _like a jelly baby?


	22. 22 Temptation

Hello all! This one's kind of weird and random, just a thought I had based on the idea that the TARDIS translates all the alien languages the Doctor hears. I don't think she really likes 6. I mean, in comparison. I was watching one episode with the sixth Doctor and Peri was talking about how the Doctor kept getting lost in the TARDIS corridors, so... yeah.

Super thanks to Nacanaca and Missybailey for reviewing!

Enjoy!

**22. Temptation (Full of 6!)**

The TARDIS usually behaved herself, but every so often circumstances proved to be too great of the temptation.

"Observe," the Doctor sniffed disdainfully, puffing out his chest. "A quaint, primitive civilization. Utterly unsurprising."

"Yeah?" Mel asked, squinting into the distance. "Are you sure about that?"

"Quite," the Doctor said.

"Well then what are we doing here?" Mel asked.

"We're on a holiday," the Doctor announced. "Completely for _your _benefit."

"Well then I'm going to stay back here and rest," Mel proclaimed, disappearing back into the endless maze of corridors within the TARDIS.

"Suit yourself," the Doctor called after her. "I'll be outside being utterly bored while you fall slave to your undeveloped stamina." With a swirl of kaleidoscopic fabric, the Time Lord disappeared into the small, green, uninteresting village on Pastueus 2.

It wasn't long before he came to a local, and shouted a greeting. "Hello! Have you got any attractions around here?"

The local answered "Kizz. Gor ub jib gor."

"_Excuse_ me?"

"Gor ub jib. Yothol mya jib. Kizzan!"

"Why that sounds like... that sounds like Ikazineese," the Doctor muttered.

"Uoi ja kuak mek. Zzal maz mak." The local was looking considerably distressed, and in fact was wondering why this brightly attired stranger was ignoring everything he said and sticking strange labels on his speech.

"Are you sure you've got the translation right?" the Doctor called over his shoulder to the TARDIS, an action which, to the local, looked rather mad. He didn't know, of course, that the TARDIS was alive, and so began edging warily around the side of the road. "Because it sounds rather like Ikazineese," the Doctor finished.

_It is_

"But they don't speak Ikanzineese here."

_Are you bored yet?_

"Wha- are you translating wrong on _purpose?"_

_Are you bored yet?_

"Yltsenoh, sega rof daed neeb sah gits," the local called, this being a traditional Pastuinian charm to ward off insanity. Translated roughly into Ikanzineese, and then finally into English or Gallifreyan (whichever one the Doctor preferred at the moment), it sounded remarkably like "My camel (or camel-like creature called a sega) is judging you terribly."

"I beg your pardon!" the Doctor shouted. His translation skills had gone a bit lax since he had gotten the TARDIS, and he had completely forgotten a whole slew of Pastunian idioms, including the aforementioned charm.

"Yltsenoh, sega rof daed neeb sah gits," the local said again, making some sacred gestures and running off into the rolling green hills.

"Well that was absolutely uncalled for," the Doctor told his TARDIS.

_It was fun_

"No it most certainly was not!Now change your translators at once!"

_You aren't bored_

the TARDIS thought, but she grudgingly obliged.

The next local the Doctor approached greeted him with a cheerful "... . .-.. .-.. - -..- ... - .-. .- -. -. . .-. "

"Of all the- _Morse code?"_


	23. 23 Biggest Regret

Hello all!

I'm glad so many of you liked the last chapter, especially Maddie Raye, Duskflight, Nacanaca, Missybailey, and 10Blue10 who reviewed. Jelly Babies for you all! I've got 50 whole reviews now, which is blowing my mind away! Thanks all of you! And all you silent lurkers, too!

This time my story is based on sort of an idea I got whilst thinking about the Doctor Who movie with 8, and how everyone's always calling him half human randomly. It features 7 and is supposed to take place pretty close to the beginning of the movie. Hope you like it!

Vworp On!

**23. Biggest Regret (assimilating 7!)**

The Doctor didn't much care for going back to Gallifrey. They treated him dreadfully there.

"He's a troublemaker," some whispered.

"He's not really a Time Lord."

"He spends an awful amount of time on that primitive planet Earth. Perhaps he's half human!"

So the rumors went, and, when he returned once in his seventh incarnation for a bit of a holiday, for he'd been in the same body for several hundred years and was getting a bit tired of the breakneck pace of traveling, he found himself subjected to the results of these rumors.

"They wanted samples of my.. my genetic material!" he fumed, after returning to the TARDIS. "They wanted to find out if I was "pure" or not. Of all the absurd ideas!"

_They questioned you?_

"They wanted to know if I was _half human," _the Doctor explained firmly. "Mind you, it's times like these when I wish I was from somewhere other than this abysmal planet."

_Enjoy it while you are here_

The TARDIS thought with a puzzling sense of urgency. She knew what he did not- that the next time he visited Gallifrey would be in shambles, and after that... after that there would be no next time.

But the Doctor wasn't having any of that. "It's utterly dull here," he complained. "And it's quite obvious I'm not wanted. And on top of everything else they're sending me on another errand. Something to do with the Master. _Again. _That's just cake on the icing!"

_I can run a complete biology scan on you_

The TARDIS offered, hoping to alleviate at least one of his apprehensions.

"No, no. I know what I am all right. And I'm going to read." He stamped off down the TARDIS corridors, clutching his copy of _Catcher in the Rye_, but his ship was far from content. She nudged gently at his mind, unearthing memories; the recent ones were the easiest. And she got a name.

The Doctor called him The Talker. He was always fond of irrelevant nicknames.

Upsetting the Doctor would be The Talker's biggest regret.

The TARDIS materialized around The Talker, who was sleeping comfortably in his room. His face was lined with time-lord age, he was about seven hundred and only on his third regeneration. Clearly he had no sense of adventure to add to his lack of decency.

_hate_

The change in surroundings was drastic enough to wake The Talker up, and he began shouting in alarm. "Rassilon! What madness is going on!" The TARDIS didn't listen and didn't stop. She had already begun her flight, and within seconds had landed on the small, distasteful planet of Clom.

The Talker, an inexperienced traveler and rather afraid of the TARDIS, needed no urging to run out the doors, which closed firmly behind him. A poor idea not to at least check the scans, but he was probably lucky. If he had been stubborn about it, he might have ended up someplace even worse.

Returning to Gallifrey as though nothing had happened, the TARDIS still radiated smugness. Oh yes, if the unpleasant rumors about the Doctor continued, she would make all her thief's enemies sorry.


	24. 24 A Long Way From Home

Hi All!

I'm kind of excited about this one! It's my longest yet, and I think it's one of my favorites. In all essence... the Doctor and the TARDIS get drafted. The other Time Lords have title-names because I couldn't think of any good Time lord ones. Hope you like!

Thanks NacaNaca and Missybailey for reviewing and elizabethmclaughlin84 for alerting- you're the best!

Without further ado...

**24. A Long Way From Home (Exhibiting 8!)**

The General narrowed his eyes as he stared at the fancifully-clad idiot who was lounging- _lounging!_- on his TARDIS in the middle of the training field. He gritted his teeth and turned, starting a bit when he saw a young captain, only 300 years or so, approaching.

"Fighter!" he bellowed, and the captain snapped to attention.

"Yes, sir!"

"Have you been able to do anything with the Doctor?" The General inquired.

The Fighter looked down, running a hand through her blonde, close-cropped hair. "No, sir, that's what I came to talk to you about." The General glared, so the Fighter continued "He's acting like he doesn't belong here, sir. Like he's a long way from home. He keeps asking about people who are off on the front lines, and looking appalled when I inform him. And he won't listen to a thing I tell him to do."

"Hmmph." The General stalked around. "I issued him a Time Blaster, and he just sort of looked at it. He wouldn't fire it, he just kept trying to reverse the polarity."

"He hasn't gotten any better," The Fighter reported. "He's abandoned the gun altogether, and he won't stop eating that blasted alien candy." What she did not mention was that the Doctor had shared, and it was actually quite tasty. It wasn't military regulations.

"What about the hair?" The General asked. "Have you explained to him its fanciful impracticalities?"

"Of course, sir, and he still refuses to cut it. He says he's been fighting Daleks and running through turbines since before I was born, and he ought to know what is an appropriate style for that."

"It's probably true," the General conceded, "The Dalek part anyway. But he has a reputation for impracticality. Did you ever see that scarf?"

"No, sir, before my time."

"Hmm." The General paced around a little more, scuffing his iron-tipped boots in the Gallifreyan soil. "I suppose we'll have to overlook his appearance, as unorthodox as it may be."

"Why don't we just demote him and let him work in civilian jobs?" the Fighter asked. "It's obvious he's just going to disrupt our efficiency and play havoc with morale."

"Because," the General muttered through gritted teeth, "He's got more field experience than the both of us combined. Him and the Master are our two secret weapons, if we expect to have any hope of winning this war. Obstinate bunch."

"Sir!" another young Time Lady ran up. "We've got a bigger problem than you might realize."

"Well?"

The Time Lady, the Stabler, rubbed a weary hand across her eyes. "It's his TARDIS," she announced.

"Yes, I told you to get him a new one. Don't tell me he won't part with that old rust-bucket, either."

"He won't, sir," the Stabler admitted. "It's an ancient Type 40, and it hasn't got half the weapons capabilities that are needed. The shielding is substandard at best, and half the essential components, the Materialization Loop and the Chameleon Circuit, for instance, are completely shot. He'll be recognized by anyone, and they'll hear him coming seconds in advance. I wouldn't trust that thing to carry supplies, let alone lead a frontline charge."

"Exactly," the General snorted. "And he won't take a new one? The Master jumped at the chance. I'll never understand that Doctor's insane mind. I'll bet it's all those regenerations. He has no respect for old age, does he? Just goes off getting younger all the time. Bah."

"It's not only him," the Stabler confessed. "I couldn't get him to agree to a trade in, and he very nearly threatened to blow something up and leave the planet if he was forced to, not that it would do him any good. So I decided to try a night trade-out. It's worked before, Sir, the young Time Lords especially get very attached to a specific TARDIS, but once they've been introduced to a new model their sympathy is no longer a hinderance."

"Of course," the Fighter said, startling the other two who had forgotten she was there. "I've seen that technique work dozens of times in the academy."

"Indeed," the Stabler agreed. "So last night I towed his TARDIS away and replaced it with a Type 110. He was sure to love it. Shiny new model with all the parts working and all. I drop his TARDIS in the reserve yard and come back, and the Type 110 is gone! The Type 40 is sitting there just as calm as you please, and still horribly out of place with that police box nonsense. So I try again. I figure the Doctor must have some sort of homing device with him, so I trap the Type 40 in a stasis shield so he can't call it back. And I come back with a Type 120, the best of the best, and that blasted police box is _still _there. I don't know how he did it. No signal could get through that shield."

"Perhaps it was the TARDIS on its own accord," the Fighter suggested.

"Preposterous. TARDISes aren't idiots. That one had to know very well that she was getting out of frontline duty, and what sort of old machine like that, with no fighting capabilities whatsoever, would _want _certain destruction?"

"Right," the General broke in irritably. "We need a cohesive plan of action to deal with this rebel."

"You said yourself we need his experience, sir," the Fighter pointed out. "I say we put up with him as much as possible. Let him have his rickety old TARDIS and his hair and his candy. A few battles in he'll realize his mistake, and we'll try again."

"I concur," the General agreed. "It sounds like either that TARDIS is a suicidal fool, or it's devoted to the Doctor. Don't laugh, it's been known to happen. Both options are insane, and I'll guess we'll find out which when it's either destroyed through recklessness or the Doctor finally shuns it for a newer model. Either way, that pair won't last long. This is war. This is no time to get sentimental."

"Oh it's not just sentiment," a new voice piped up softly. The trio turned to see the Doctor himself standing behind them quite calmly.

"What are you doing here?" the General bellowed. He always bellowed when he was confused.

"You were talking about me," the Doctor said, by way of explanation. "And I was going to tell you that I don't appreciate your efforts to kidnap my TARDIS in the least. You-" here he pointed at the Stabler, "have no respect for my TARDIS, so I have no respect for you." He turned away, letting that thought stand for itself.

"How did you know about that?" the Stabler exclaimed.

"She told me," the Doctor said. "And if it will help you to understand, it really isn't sentiment that's keeping us together."

"So what is?"

"Love," the Doctor said. "She's my best friend in all the universe, and I'm hers. And we really don't want you to break us up, so I would suggest you stop trying." He strode away back to his shabby blue box, leaving the other Time Lords to sigh in exasperation.

"Like I said," the General scoffed. "They're completely insane."


End file.
